Atlantis' Runner
by linda.ljc
Summary: Sometimes things never come to a full stop.


**Title: Atlantis' Runner**

**Author: lindaljc, **

**Spoilers:** Runner

**Category:** Angst, Drama, Humor, H/C, Smarm

**Warning:** Gen

**Summary:** Sometimes things never come to a full stop.

**Disclaimer:** The characters and settings of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis belongs to Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corporation. All other publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis or any other media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

_This story was written by with the love of the show in mind._

The guards followed him everywhere. He found he'd stopped caring. That MALP thing had shown him all he needed to know about Sateda.

So he spent his days wandering this city. This Atlantis of the Ancestors. It should have brought wonder and reverence. But it only brought remembrance of the lost. Of _his_ cities. Of the proud and ferocious Satedans that had declared they would stand against the Wraith to the last man. And it seems they had. Except for him.

He'd lived, and he should have died with them. Now all he could feel was that he had betrayed them by living. He had survived seven years of wandering and fighting, hiding and planning, often wounded and starving.

Now his only plan was someday to go home. He would lay flowers for his Melena and for his warrior brothers, for the friends he had grown up with that had died when he had survived. He'd survived, and it was somehow wrong.

One day as he explored this city he found himself staring up and up at one of the highest towers that the humans were allowed to enter, that they had declared safe. That day he had climbed and climbed. His lungs burned and his muscles nearly failed him but he still managed to force himself back to a run as he neared the top. He could hear his guards far behind him call for someone, Chuck, to try to track him because they couldn't run up 37 floors like Ronon had, though they'd tried.

When he reached the top, he felt a glimmer of something besides his numbing grief. It made no sense. It was absurd really. He had run so long and so far in times of desperation that he had lost all sense of time and distance so these little stairs were nothing really. Yet, there was just a hint of humor in the idea of his guards following him on their own pointless quest, and it slowly morphed into a game. How far could he run? How high could he climb? How many shifts of guards could he wear out in one day?

There came a time when he didn't have to worry they would lose him. He still couldn't believe he'd allowed it, but instead of the Wraith tracker he'd had, they'd inserted one of their own. He'd fought the very idea. He'd raged from one end of Beckett's domain to the other, leaving the guards to look like they were seconds from stunning him unconscious. That was the only thing that kept his rage somewhat in check, because that would just give them the opening they'd need to insert the tracker.

But then a curious thing happened. Sheppard showed up, and with a tiny gesture the guards backed down and away out of the infirmary and into the corridor. And then the loud and pompous McKay showed up, and even the fierce little Athosian woman, Teyla. Sheppard's team.

McKay blustered at the Doctor, Beckett. "Well, get your voodoo scanner over here and show him, Carson."

Ronon had no idea what he meant but when Beckett gestured with one of their _laptop_ things he began to pay closer attention and backed away.

Beckett had seemed a stern if honest man. Ronon had gotten that opinion on the planet where he'd removed the Wraith tracker from Ronon's back, and hadn't taken advantage when he'd passed out from the pain. Now he didn't know what to think.

Beckett looked somewhat sad, and very apologetic but he stood his ground. "Ah now, Ronon, it's a very difficult thing for you to allow after all ye've been through. But this device right here records the presence of our tracking devices. When ye see a blue dot that means it's tracking a device in a person."

"I don't want anything to do with your devices. You took one out of me, why would you think I'd allow you to put in another?"

McKay grabbed the device. "Look at this! There's nothing showing on it right? No little blue tracking dot. Correct?"

"So?"

"So, it's not automatic. Just if we think someone's in trouble." McKay fiddled over the scanner for a moment. "Here, I narrowed the field down. It just shows a few feet around it." He then held it over his bicep. "Now look. See the dot? That's me."

He swung it around to Teyla's arm. "See, see here. That's Teyla."

Sheppard then swung his arm forward, and the device lit up again.

Ronon was more than confused. He was a little horrified. "You track yourselves? Each other? You allow this?"

McKay snorted, "It's for our safety. Your safety, too. What if you get taken again? Maybe... _maybe_, and it would be long shot I admit... but we might be able to find you. Heck you could just go out... I don't know... hunting. You could get hurt, you know unconscious, and you'd need help."

"And you'd come?"

"Of course we'd come! We don't leave anyone behind if we can help it. We didn't leave you behind did we?"

Sheppard tried to hide a smirk.

Teyla tilted her head to the side a bit. "They came for me and others of my people and theirs, Ronon. On a hive ship. We didn't all escape... but they came."

The tracker didn't really hurt, not like the Wraith one. For a while he kept touching his skin under which it sat, and wondering, and hoping what they'd said, and what they promised, was true.

He thought the guards were the happiest about the tracker. They didn't have to follow him anymore, but he still ran and climbed just because he felt free when he did. Even with the new tracker he felt freer than he had in seven years of Wraith tracking.

The days of his being alone were slowly wearing on him, though. You'd think after seven years he'd be used to being alone. He might be the last Satedan, but he was slowly coming to the conclusion that he didn't have to be alone anymore. These people had not left him behind on that miserable planet where the Wraith would have come for him again. Even on that planet, before the removal of the tracker, he'd trusted these people even if it was at the end of his blaster.

When he'd awoken with them around him and the tracker gone, destroyed, somehow he'd known. They weren't Satedan but they were somehow brothers. They had saved him at some risk to themselves. He still inwardly cringed when he remembered threatening them with his weapon.

Still, most days he spent alone. He always ate alone. Sheppard and his team were all busy people. They had responsibilities. Duties. And he had nothing but running. It was only during meals that he seemed crowded for space. So he'd go to the _mess hall_ at odd hours when there were few people to stare at him. They didn't stare long because he could stand and stare back better than they could. And he'd show teeth if all else failed.

Then he'd sit and eat a meal like the others, not what he normally consumed because he was a big man and running like he still did took a lot of fuel, but he also didn't want to wear out his welcome. No one had yet asked him to leave, and he was still considering his options.

Then one day Rodney and Teyla came to the food line after a late mission. Sheppard must have still been delivering his report since he was nowhere to be seen. Teyla beat Ronon to the line, and Rodney obviously didn't want to cut in front of Ronon so he nervously came up next after him.

McKay wasn't the only nervous one. Ronon hesitated and finally would only choose the same food as Teyla, and the same quantities.

Rodney was busy packing things onto his tray when he noticed. "No offense, _Conan_, but I know you can eat more than that." and he began piling more on Ronon's tray.

McKay stopped momentarily and changed his mind and put one thing back. Then he changed his mind again and put it on his own tray. He looked at Ronon for a moment, obviously looking a little guilty.

"I've never seen Teyla eat that so I'm not sure you'd like it, and it's something I really like." Then he looked a little worried and looked Ronon up and down as if suddenly determining that Ronon could flatten him with one hand, or one punch. "Huh, if you want it, you can have it."

"If you want it, keep it. I'm not picky. Never had much of a choice. Had to eat what was available."

Rodney nodded thoughtfully. "Here. You try it. If you don't like it I'd take what's left." He shifted his shoulders slightly. "I'm always stealing Sheppard's dessert so nobody else will care."

Teyla grinned, "Don't you know he always picks what you like?"

Rodney let his breath out in a huff of surprise. "Really?"

Ronon grunted. "You're not very observant, are you?"

"Huh. Really?"

"Rodney, he does not mind."

"But, it's dessert. Who'd pass up dessert? There's plenty here. I could just go get another for myself."

"He knows. But this way you don't have to go back."

"Sheppard needs to eat more. He's too skinny." Rodney looked embarrassed. "I won't do it anymore."

Now Teyla looked upset. "That is not why I mentioned it."

"Why did you?"

She looked sideways at Ronon. "Maybe because Ronon is very good at hiding things on his person. There is no need. _Seconds_ are always available if wanted or needed."

Ronon glared at Teyla and Teyla stared him down, easily.

"Ronon. You do not need to hide food. It is always free for the taking in the mess hall. That is the way of the Tau'ri here."

Rodney looked like he caught on to a major secret. "Oh, oh. Food hoarding." Then he looked like he wished he could take it back as several people around them glanced at them, but they saw Ronon's glare and turned away quickly. "I'm sorry. I speak before I think. It's a kind of failing of mine. The food thing, it's totally understandable considering your situation. I can't imagine not knowing where my next meal is coming from, I mean I have a few of my favorite MREs in the lab and in my quarters. They're ones that don't have citrus in them. Hey, did I tell you about my allergy? It's pretty bad so I have to be really careful about what I eat."

"Yeah. You told me. But what's citrus?"

"Well, you see those little yellow tags, those dishes have citrus. On Earth there are little fruits that are citrus, most common are oranges, lemons, and limes."

"Do you have any here?"

"Well, no. Right now it's between deliveries, and we're out of the fresh ones." Rodney gave a little shudder and he knew Ronon noticed.

"Guess you're not exaggerating."

"Uh, no."

By that time they'd finally reached a table.

After that Ronon began to make it a habit to eat with someone from Sheppard's team. He got fewer surprised looks at the pile of food he took. Still, if there was food left he would always go for _seconds_. And no matter how much he took, Rodney would always try to add to Ronon's tray.

But when Rodney stopped stealing from Sheppard's tray, Sheppard would look at McKay like something was wrong. That went on until Rodney started to steal Sheppard's dessert again, and then Sheppard started to look relieved.

Ronon thought Sheppard's team was a little crazy, but there were worse things.

Sometimes Ronon began to find small stacks of MREs outside his room. At first he didn't know where they came from, and he didn't dare take them. They weren't his, and he knew they came from supplies, but they were always his favorites.

Sometimes he'd leave them there for several days, but then more would show up. He finally figured it was McKay, so he started storing them in his quarters until he finally had to tell him to stop. There was still plenty of room for storage, but it was getting out of hand.

Stealing his own food was at first a necessity. To feel safe. Then he stole for practice, to see how much he could get away with. Then when Teyla had spoken up that day, he realized they were letting him get away with it, and the game was no longer a game, and he felt a little foolish that it had taken him so long to catch on.

Ronon had been irritated with McKay about the MREs at first, until he finally realized that the doc was just being... nice. The doc had his own reasons for hoarding the MREs he could eat safely, but Ronon was okay now with the supplies he'd been able to put away for himself. He'd finally relaxed enough to trust the generosity of his rescuers. It was a good feeling.

Hoarding had lost it's urgency. It wasn't life or death anymore. But he did start saving a few just for McKay. For him it _was_ life or death, and Ronon knew that feeling all too well.

End


End file.
